1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a missile weapon system for the surveillance and suppression of an enemy's air defense sites or other types of sites of military interest.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern day warfare, air supremacy is critical to accomplish battlefield objectives. The suppression of an enemy's air defenses is of paramount importance if air supremacy is to be achieved. A number of individual weapons have been developed for this purpose.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,809 to Oglesby et al. discloses a method for precision bombing a plurality of targets using a precision guided weapon to dispense homing beacons prior to attacking a prime target for guiding other weapons to attack secondary targets by homing on the dispensed beacons.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,068 to Berg et al. discloses an optical tracker with a radar sensor to lock on to and track a moving target aircraft. U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,373 to Friedenthal et al. discloses a fiber optic system for a radar guided missile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,571 to Holder et al. discloses a system for image stabilization in an optical guidance system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,930 to Nathanson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,595 to Thiede et al., and U.S. Statutory Invention Registration H796 to Miller, Jr., et al. all disclose various seeker systems for missiles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,185 to Lockhart, Jr., et al. discloses an aircraft and missile data link system, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,942 to Hauer discloses a jam resistant communication system for control of aircraft and missiles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,357,611 to Skomal and 4,700,190 to Harrington disclose devices for enhancing and augmenting the radar cross section of missile reentry vehicles, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,235 to Graham, Jr., et al. discloses an aircraft-launched, inflatable radar decoy.
However, there has not as yet been developed a fully integrated weapon system for the surveillance and suppression of enemy air defenses, most particularly surface-to-air missile sites.
There are two types of defensive surface-to-air missile sites that require surveillance and suppression: non-radiating sites and intermittently radiating sites. Also, the present High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) is designed for the destruction of a radiating radar antenna only, and is not therefore effective for the destruction of an entire missile site or other sites of military interest. No existing weapon system is capable of concurrently searching for, surveying, identifying, and destroying radar antennas, missile launchers, and support equipment and facilities for both types of missile sites.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved air defense destruction missile weapon system which is fully integrated and specifically designed to accomplish the destruction of an entire missile site of an enemy's air defenses. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages such as high attitude surveillance and interoperability capability with other combat aircraft performing air defense suppression missions.